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October 5, 2024
When we returned to Australia, Melbourne was one of our turnaround days. I hadn’t cruised out of Melbourne since being on the Golden Princess in 2020. Turnaround days are always hectic and require more cruise staff, and while I knew the routine of how things went in Yokohama, I wasn’t sure how similar they would be down under. So I waited until I could request the maximum time off, and arranged to play with Randi!
Randi and I met on the Golden Princess and kept in touch through the pandemic, when she started chatting with a guest she had met on the Golden who had followed her on Instagram. We kept in touch while I returned to ships and Randi got her teaching license in Canada. We kept in touch while she kept chatting with that guy who lived in Australia. He came to visit her in Canada, and then she moved to Australia so they could be together. She lived with him a couple of hours outside of Melbourne, so if I was coming back this far, we had to get together!
There was hardly ever enough time in Melbourne to fully explore the city, so I let Randi lead the way. We stopped for brunch.
It was so nice to be able to talk in person. I honestly didn’t really care where we went – I was so happy to be able to catch up with my friend.
It was so bizarre to be wandering the streets talking with someone with a North American accent. I was at home and on the other side of the world at the same time.
We filled each other in on the last five years – the details that didn’t fit into the group chat as we wandered through shops and found an outdoor market. It’s so nice to reconnect with a friend where we can slip right back into that rhythm as if no time has passed.
We tried to figure out another day we could get together, and the best option seemed to be the day I disembarked – my flight wasn’t until midnight so Princess would get me a hotel near the airport to hang out in for the day. Nah! I’d rather hang out with Randi!
November 9, 2024
My stuff was packed and I patiently waited until I could disembark with the crew. I lugged my 4 bags onto the bus that went to the hotel, dragged my bags upstairs, did a quick reshuffle so my suitcases would be ready to fly and then I hopped in an uber to go meet Randi.
She took me to this place that had food stalls from all over the world. We started in Italy with gnocchi that was cooked in a cheese bowl that melted into the pasta.
Then we went over to Asia and had some Bao Buns
We shared the little meals in hopes that we wouldn’t get too full to taste as much as we possibly could. We sat at a different table for every meal to get the full experience.
Our next stop was in Turkey where we had some Gozleme.
Which I find hilarious because I’ve only been able to find Gozleme in Australia – It’s a cheesy flat bread with vegetables (or meat in the middle) that is kind of like a quesadilla made with pita instead of tortilla.
We enjoyed the live music.
Finally we had enough time for dessert – Randi got little pancake donuts and I went for a ridiculous chocolate ice cream.
And off in the distance – there was the Diamond Princess!
I can’t put into words how great this day was for my spirit. I was delighted how we traveled around the world with food. I’m really hope that the Universe can put me back in the vicinity of Randi so we can connect like this again. I had more details that I should have written down on the day, but I didn’t.
And then it was time to say goodbye. I took an uber back to the hotel and the hotel shuttle to the airport.
At the airport, I ran into Mimi, the Youth Activities Manager, who had also disembarked on the same day. Our first flight was on the same plane before I went toward San Francisco and she went back to Japan.
A beer at the airport to mark the end of a completed contract tastes even better now that Princess does random alcohol tests. Every drink onboard is weighted with the possibility of being fired if they decide to do an alcohol test at a strategic time. Being able to drink without the fear of being fired is truly a pleasure.
And then I came home to my family with two new babies, as well as Reisling Bader Ginsberg, who was very happy that I was home.
